Video: Ralph Nader on Meet the Press – Updated

Here is the entire video of Ralph Nader announcing his candidacy for president this morning on Meet the Press with Tim Russert:

He drops the bomb in the first few minutes that he is definitively running in 2008.

Hillary Clinton already reacted to the news, her quote from The Swamp:

Sen. Hillary Clinton, suggesting that Ralph Nader’s Green Party candidacy cost the nation the “greenest president” it could have had with Al Gore in 2000, said today that Nader’s new candidacy for the White House poses an unwelcome distraction.

â€œObviously itâ€™s not helpful to whoever our Democratic nominee is,” said Clinton, coming back on her campaign plane to speak with reporters. “But itâ€™s a free country.

“I donâ€™t know what party heâ€™ll run on,” she said. “Where did he run on last time? Does anybody remember? … Was it on the Green Party?”

He was Green in 2000, an independent in ’04.

“Well, you know, his being on the Green Party (ticket) prevented Al Gore from being the greenest president we could have had, and I think thatâ€™s really unfortunate,” Clinton said. “I think we paid a big price for it.â€

In this case, should Clinton become the nominee, I think Nader would hurt her more than he would hurt an Obama candidacy.

I have not found a reaction from Obama, McCain, or Huckabee yet so if you find some statements, post them in the comments and I’ll update the story.

Update:

Here’s a video from the Fox Report with Clinton and Obama reacting to Nader’s presidential announcement:

They both seemed a little ticked about it but I’m betting the Clinton campaign will be fighting it more. However, will Nader have as much of an impact if the Democrats can sway liberal voters by claiming that Nader cost Gore the 2000 election for Gore?

Will Democrats be fed up enough with President Bush that Nader won’t have as much of an impact this time around? I mean in that some liberals might love what Nader stands for but they’d much rather see Obama or Clinton than McCain.

Having Nader as Obama’s running mate would be political suicide. Obama is already the most liberal member of the senate. If he is as smart as everyone thinks he is, he’ll pick a moderate democrat. However, as a Republican, I say GO FOR IT!

alonso

left hand or right hand?
is the answer they demand
would you rather we cut off your left hand or your right hand
what part of the question don’t you understand?
this is how i feel every time i go into the voting booth
a choice between two candidates i feel are not telling me the truth
where is my choice?
who represents my voice?
all i see are empty promises never kept
the rat stole the cheese while the cat slept
the lesser of two evils is no justification
for choosing the leader of any nation
would you rather we cut off your left hand or right hand?
i don’t believe this mentality will lead us to the promise-land
i am right handed so it would be far worse to lose the right
but it’s my left that gives the support where i find my true might
to lose either hand is completely unacceptable
and anyone who forces this choice on me is just contemptible
what i choose is that i have the opportunity to make a real choice
and with my vote acknowledge those who acknowledge my voice
what’s wrong with picking someone based on their chances to win?
i find that question so ludicrous i almost don’t know where to begin
we treat our elections like it’s the super bowl
that our team wins is the most important goal
and candidates treat our votes as an entitlement
so as a result the parties perpetuate the establishment
they are selling us a propaganda campaign in order to get elected
but then the same favors are owed to the same people no matter who is selected
i cast my vote even though i was told it wouldn’t count
now shall i support a party where my influence has no amount?
it’s back room politics that has disenfranchised me
nothing is different from what i can see
i wonder just where was the candidate of change
when we democrats of florida where treated like we had mange?
i shall stand with those who stand with me
no matter on what party they happen or not to be
what is important is that my issues they choose to address
that is the measure by which me they can impress
are you going to represent me
or are you going to represent some lobby?
will my voice count when i am in the minority
and you are being pushed about by the majority?
can i trust you to stand up for what is right
or do i have to worry about knocks in the night?
an enemy of the state to be taken away
with a political president who has nothing to say
would you rather we cut off your left hand or right hand?
we are the losers when we submit to this command
i will not be a party to my own demise
if enough people believe then real change will arise
we should all vote for the person we consider best
and trust the same from all of the rest
imagine the world we can conceive
if we all voted for who we believe
instead of a resigned practicality that maintains the status quo
through a two party system that turns on who raises the most dough
if the vote we cast is always against the other
the one we elect will represent anouther
we should be voting for someone instead
then we could all start to move ahead
that is when i will believe that anyone can grow up to be president
no matter from what barrio or hood they may happen to be a resident
i shall be proud to be an american on that day
because we shall have found anouther way
so for the good of the people i now hereby state
i shall be voting for ralph nader in 2008

When Ralph wanted to reduce car accidents, he did it by focusing on promoting changes to the fundamental design of the car. But when he tries to reduce the dysfunction of our political system, he fails to focus on the fundamental design of the elections. Instead he hops in the poorly designed system again and again and takes it for a drive, as if to show us, through repeatedly crashing it, how bad it is – all without offering the necessary fundamental solutions like he did with cars.

I just love Ralph Nader, he really know how to stir the political pot. Wow has it really been 8 years since the mans last political showing. Its great to see the Dems squirm in fear of the Green Party God.
I do agree with Stalin, as a conservative I love the thought of Ralph potentially screwing it up for the Dems once again. Whats unbelievable to me is that there still litigating election out comes from 2000, give it up already.

As a UK citizen that’s been ‘lumbered’ with a non-functional government with the most inept leader imaginable, I really ‘feel’ for you people over the pond.

No matter how many ‘good’ honest guys or gals run for the presidency, you do know don’t you, that you’re going to get EXACTLY the same ‘Walmart government’ you’ve had for donkeys years now don’t you?

I don’t believe there’s a government in the world that understands the word ‘integrity’. You most certainly WON’T get a leader with that quality, as those runners who DO have it, won’t stoop to the low, underhand tactics needed in this modern society to make it.

Web 2.0 is running this campaign, and unless those ‘Good Guys’ also use it, they don’t stand a hope in hell of making it.

Just a thought.

Pete.

GoObama

Go AWAY Nader!
You’re just going to mess up things again for the next 8 years!